Telematics

Wash. City Begins Tracking Refuse Fleet

The City of Spokane, Wash., has begun using fleet management technology on its waste collection trucks to track key metrics, including service confirmations, missed pickups, landfill diversion, and recycling rates. The city installed Rubicon’s technology on approximately 100 solid waste vehicles, according to a release from the company.

Rubicon was awarded the competitively sourced three-year contract with the City of Spokane in September 2018, and the city has an option for two, one-year contract renewals.

“Using this new technology, we will be able to operate more efficiently, make business decisions using comprehensive data, enhance our sustainability efforts, and respond rapidly to customer needs,” said Scott Simmons, the city’s Division Director of Public Works and Utilities, in the release.

Tablets loaded with the Rubicon mobile app, as well as onboard plug-in devices, will be placed in the City of Spokane’s fleet of residential and commercial waste and recycling collection vehicles. With the mobile app and plug-in device, the city will be able to take and organize pictures at customer locations, flag locations, dispatch alerts, and provide real-time GPS monitoring of each vehicle. The app will also help deliver precise pick-up times, optimize routes, and reduce the need for truck repairs.

Rubicon SmartCity phone and pod technology feed waste, recycling, and vehicle data back to the portal, which provides a live map of the city’s entire operations alongside performance statistics and real-time insights.

Image courtesy of Rubicon Global

The technology will provide the City of Spokane with comprehensive planning data, notably by enabling real-time, transparent information about collection operations, routing, vehicle health, landfill diversion, and recycling rates. The data will help the city understand how to improve its collection operations, as well measure the carbon avoidance from recycling activities and track vehicle emission reduction targets.